The Hornets have proven they can draw adequate home crowds for opponents such as the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers, who have the two biggest stars in the league in LeBron James and Kobe Bryant.

But it's opponents such as the Seattle SuperSonics, Charlotte Bobcats and Philadelphia 76ers where the Hornets experience their greatest difficulty to sell tickets.

Despite the team's asserted promotional push, a 26-12 record and an amended lease agreement that gives owner George Shinn an opt-out option if the team fails to draw an average of 14,735 fans a game through next season, only 9,882 showed for Wednesday night's game against the Sonics.

Hornets officials are not expecting to see a significant spike at the turnstile for tonight's game against the Charlotte Bobcats at the New Orleans Arena. The low attendance has caught the attention of NBA Commissioner David Stern, who pushed for the team's return to New Orleans after it played two seasons in Oklahoma City.

"Given the play of the team on the court, I would hope that it would be rewarded by more fan support," Stern said Thursday. "I'm disappointed in the number, but you know it may take a little time."

Wednesday's crowd was the fourth-smallest to see a game at the Arena this season. But in the latest attendance count, the Hornets moved from last place to 29th with a 12,205-per-game average. Indiana now ranks last with an 11,960-per-game average after 18 games.

On Dec. 29, the Hornets had their first sellout of the season at 17,623 for the Cavs and James.

The Hornets also drew 15,605 for a Jan. 9 game against the Lakers and Bryant. A crowd of 16,133 showed for a Jan. 11 game against the Miami Heat, which is led by star guard Dwyane Wade.

Yet, in 10 of 18 games at the Arena, the Hornets have failed to attract more than 12,000. Five of those opponents, which include two games against the Minnesota Timberwolves, don't have winning records.

"This is our city, and I think it upsets players as well as coaches and everybody in our organization when you have three of the best young players at their position right here with David West, Chris Paul and Tyson Chandler, and we still can't get people to come out and see our main guys who are All-Star worthy," Hornets Coach Byron Scott said. "We don't know what else we can do, but we're going to keep coming out playing hard."

Paul has emerged as one of the top point guards in the league and likely will be voted by the coaches as a reserve for the All-Star Game in New Orleans on Feb. 17. He has scored 20 or more points in 16 of the past 24 games and leads the league in steals with a 2.83 average.

West, a forward, has 17 double-doubles and is averaging 19.3 points and 9.5 rebounds. He has scored 20 or more points in eight of the past 11 games.

Chandler, the team's center, grabbed 21 rebounds and scored 14 points Wednesday night. He has 14 double-doubles in the past 21 games. If the playoffs began Thursday, the Hornets would be the third seed in the Western Conference, opening the first round at the Arena.

At 26-12, the Hornets have the best record in franchise history after 38 games. They have won 11 of the past 13 games, which includes seven in a row on the road.

"The fact that the team is playing well and we do have the least-expensive ticket in the NBA, it's the best value you can find, and I'll put it up against any professional team in any league," Hornets President Hugh Weber said.

"We have three top-of-the-league performers. We think (Paul) is a superstar, and I think fans in other cities are targeting our games to market. We do think that even on nights that are considered to be non-premier games, non-Kobe games, that we have an opportunity to see a Kobe-like player every night."

The Hornets are pushing promotions to increase crowds. Tonight, the first 10,000 fans will receive a Chandler bobblehead doll. On Monday, with a 2:30 p.m. tip-off because of Martin Luther King day, a child 12 and under can get in free with each paid adult ticket. A coupon, which can be obtained through the team's Web site, must be redeemed at the Arena box office before the game. For every Wednesday-night home game, the Hornets have a Guys Night Out promotion that includes two tickets, beers/sodas, and a postgame photo with the Honeybees for $44.

"I'm not alarmed at all right now," Shinn said. "We're playing teams right now that are not above .500. Our fans are trying to get reacquainted with the team, and it's going to take some time. This year, we came in without a season-ticket base, but next year we'll have one."

Although most of the players have declined to speak publicly about the small home crowds, Chandler ended his silence Thursday.

"I'll be lying if I said it's not disappointing," Chandler said. "You always as a basketball player want to play in front of big crowds. At one point during the beginning of the year, it was frustrating. But it's almost like now, I don't pay attention to it anymore.

"I kind of blank it out. I think that's one of the reasons we started to play better at home, because we've all blanked it out. I think earlier in the year, we were thinking about it too much."

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John Reid can be reached at jreid@timespicayune.com or (504) 826-3405.